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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

From Windows Phone 7.5 to 8: The Distance in Between

What made Windows Phone 7.5 catchy during its debut was the Tile feature. In Mango, the users were able to pin anything on the home screen so that they could easily access it whenever required. And what if the same feature gets a facelift? Microsoft has done the same. It has taken the Tile feature to the next level in Windows Phone 8. Here you can resize the tiles into different categories as small, medium and large, depending upon their importance. Speaking about the browser, Steve Ballmer’s team has upgraded IE9 in Windows 7.5 to IE10 in Phone 8. As a result, the webpages can be searched at a faster rate. Apart from that it also helps in better utilization of resources.

A big drawback of the Skype feature in Windows Phone 7.5 was that it required separate app for video calling. This problem is almost solved in Windows Phone 8. Here, you can use Skype to make calls over 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi. It other words you can make any kind of call; all you need is an Internet connection. Another noticeable change is in People Hub. Room feature is the addition here that allows you to access and edit shared data. All you have to do is to accept the invitation to join the room. And once you’ve done so you can access and share all stored information in the room whether it’s from the calendar, the to-do-list or the photo album.

Are you bothered when your kid fiddles with your phone? If yes, then give him restricted access with Kids Corner. A new kid on the block, so to speak, as it was missing in Mango, it permits your kid to access only those features you want him to play with. And to make your kid comfortable in Kids Corner, put all apps and games he loves to use there.

Another appealing feature added in Windows Phone 8 is Wallet App that lets you make payments over smartphone.

After rushing through the added advanced attributes in Windows Phone 8, you may long to migrate to the same from the existing Mango device. But the bad news is that it is not possible as a number of Windows 8 applications require upgraded hardware. However here is something that can cheer you up. Microsoft is bringing out Windows Phone 7.8, an update you can comfortably migrate to. Though there is no word from Microsoft on the exact launch date, it is expected to reach your hands by early 2013. So be prepared to go for the update, its surely worth it.